A Fanciful Dream
by PrincessCinder
Summary: Bella Swan has just woken up from the emotional void she has been in since Edward left her. Now, she's in her last semester of high school, and is slowly healing, thanks to Jacob Black, who agreed to help her fix up a pair of bikes. But is it her imagination due to overshot nerves, or is she being watched? And what does this friendly new student have to do with it? New Moon. AU.
1. Prologue

**A Fanciful Dream **

_Castles that are white_

_My bright and shining knight_

_It'__s all just a fairy tale to me_

-Victoria Perriola

* * *

**Prologue**

Smoky air settled on the dark city. The night was bitterly cold, so cold that it hurt the city's patrons to breathe. Most people had already retired to the warm haven of their homes, and there were only three types of people left on the street. The first group consisted of the people who were briskly walking home from their jobs late after putting in overtime. The second group contained a few young people with bright eyes who were eager to see a new movie that was coming out. A giggling teenager talked quietly to her equally young and giddy friends. The third group was made up of the people that neither of the previously mentioned groups had any desire to associate with.

In the more undesirable areas in the city, it was completely desolate except for the few ladies of the night hiding in the shadows of the building. Suddenly, an alley door swiftly swung open and out stepped a dark figure in a trench coat. He was completely indiscernible. Everything from his feet to his hair was covered, only his shrewd, dark eyes peered out. He walked without even glancing back at the door. It slammed shut, even though no one could be seen inside. He walked out into the street, the only sound the soft tapping of his feet against the pavement. He weaved around a sultry woman in her mid-twenties who looked like she needed a good night's sleep. He continued walking down the sidewalk, seemingly ignoring the suspicious glances of the few people he passed, appearing to size him up to determine if he was either dangerous or stupid enough to be in those parts of town after dark.

The mysterious figure took a sharp turn down a random alleyway and stopped at the second door on the right. He placed his hand softly on the door and pressed his head against it. The door made a soft "click" and the man turned the handle and walked inside.

* * *

The room was simple, for lack of better words. It was only lit by a sole light bulb swinging from the ceiling slowly. On the other side on the room was a plain door. And beside that door-

"Rika." The man- a boy, really, greeted as he began to remove his excessive clothing to reveal pale skin, strawberry blonde hair, and a jagged scar down the side of his left cheek. Obviously a memorable foreigner, even without the scar.

"Jeremiah." The teenage girl replied. She flipped back her dark hair and placed her chin on her propped up hand, almost looking like a deity. "How are you this evening?"

"Fine." He answered curtly, then in hoping to score brownie points (he internally laughed at that pun) "I must say, Rika, your English is flawless."

"Ah. Thank you, really. You just have not heard me try to talk in complex sentences yet." She smiled to herself, as if the thought amused her. Then, her face got immediately serious again. "Have you found my most beloved cousins yet?"

"I found the girl and brought her to your aunt and uncle. Those damn goody two shoes came and grabbed the boy before I could grab him. Hard enough with him possessing people and her sucking all the wind out of everyone's lungs without them showing up." He replied immediately not even flinching when Rika sprung out of her chair and began pacing across the room. He was about to ask if she was okay when she suddenly sprung around.

"It's fine, for now. We have Junko. We can work on showing her our side of things before hunting down her big brother." She glanced at her watch. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a little… family reunion to attend." She slid on her coat in silence.

He gave her a farewell gesture as she walked out the door, leaving him standing there under the swinging light bulb before he completely vanished and the light bulb flickered off.

* * *

**A/N: **Greetings! Welcome to the first chapter of A Fanciful Dream! **Please read the author notes for information on characters, plot, etc.**

**MY GOALS IN WRITING THIS STORY:**

**1. Improve my writing skills.** I hope that writing a long story will improve my descriptive skills and my ability to stick with something. In the end, this will be a very different story than New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn. The characters will experience true heartbreak. You will see them so broken that you wonder if they will make it. There will be tragedy. Characters won't make it. But there will also be joy and happiness for characters as well. This story will be so much more than a romance.

**2. Explore mentioned things that were not really expanded on in cannon** like Bella and Alice having abilities when they were human, other supernatural creatures, why some blood smells better than others, genetic similarities and differences between humans, shape shifters, vampires, etc, and why Bella relates to supernatural creatures better than humans.

**3. Redeem cannon characters** like Mike, Jessica, Eric, etc. who really did nothing wrong besides disliking Edward or being mad at Bella. Honestly, how dare someone have a crush on someone but not act on it until she was single or dislike her boyfriend who acts like he's all high and might towards them, then completely destroys her when he leaves. Or even worse dislikes their friend because she goes to talk to thugs who could probably murder them or even worse.

**4. Create characters with real weaknesses and faults that add depth to the story and to Bella** by being good friends who she won't feel like an outsider with. This relates to my second goal.

**5.** **Add depth to cannon plots **that occurred during New Moon and Eclipse.

**6. Create a believable romance** that doesn't show all the signs of an abusive relationship. Especially after New Moon. And also, get Bella some male friends that don't talk to her just because they think she's hot or she's dating their relative/ friend.

**7. Make Bella capable of taking care of herself** without relying on anyone else, even though people are their if she needs them.

**8. Introduce characters that actually act like teenagers. **

**9. Eliminate the misogynist feel of the series. **The struggle is real. I hope to have strong both male and female characters whose strength doesn't rely on romantic love. There will be physically weak characters who are male and female. Love will not be the only driving force of characters. Evil females will be evil for other reasons than "oooh my man is dead, lez kill bitches"

* * *

**About the story:**

In case you couldn't tell, this AU story takes place in New Moon. This story will also contain several (realistic) OCs, which you will meet later, and of course the main cast.

Before you go "No, I'm not reading this story because it's filled with Mary Sues," I will make a personal promise. Every OC in this story will have their own strengths and weaknesses. No one will have a sad back story without it being relevant. I'm not going to self insert myself into any of them. I already have like a page dedicated to every important OC that appears repeatedly and interacts enough with Bella for it to be relevant. Me and a friend took great care in designing each of them with extreme care.

I adopted this story, but completely changed almost everything about it to suit my interests (which you will find out later), which the original author has read my plot notes and absolutely loved how I was changing it all. I won't go into much detail, as I don't want to ruin the surprise of the plot.

My goal in writing this story is answering a lot of unanswered questions that showed up in cannon, all while making an entertaining story and adding dimension to both Bella as a character and the plot points that occur in New Moon (and the other books) by beefing up, so to speak, the character cast and the continuity of it.

Also, take note of Jeremiah and Rika. In case you didn't know, Rika is a Japanese name. It means eternal ruler. You will find it ironic later on. Jeremiah, on the other hand, means appointed by God. This will also be ironic.

I know this chapter is short, but I couldn't give to many details without ruining several large plot points later.

Please leave feedback and constructive criticism. (I guess you could flame me as well, but I might have trouble finding a fuck to give about it.)


	2. Chapter 1

_The alarm clock rang and I awoke_

_And my spell of fantasy was broke_

_I awoke to a World of reality_

_From a Fairyland of fantasy. _

-Francis Duggan

**Chapter 1:**

"Where's Ben today?" Lauren was asking Angela. I perked up, interested. I wondered if that meant Angela and Ben were still together.

I barely recognized Lauren. She'd cut off all her blond, corn-silk hair–now she had a pixie cut so short that the back was shaved like a boy. What an odd thing for her to do.

I wished I knew the reason behind it. Did she get gum stuck in it? Did she sell it? Had all the people she was habitually nasty to caught her behind the gym and scalped her?

I decided it wasn't fair for me to judge her now by my former opinion. For all I knew, she'd turned into a nice person.

"Ben's got the stomach flu," Angela said in her quiet, calm voice. "Hopefully it's just some twenty-four hour thing. He was really sick last night."

Angela had changed her hair, too. She'd grown out her layers.

"What did you two do this weekend?" Jessica asked, not sounding as if she cared about the answer. I'd bet that this was just an opener so she could tell her own stories. I wondered if she would talk about Port Angeles with me sitting two seats away? Was I that invisible, that no one would feel uncomfortable discussing me while I was here?

"We were going to have a picnic Saturday, actually, but… we changed our minds," Angela said. There was an edge to her voice that caught my interest.

Jess, not so much. "That's too bad," she said, about to launch into her story.

But I wasn't the only one who was paying attention.

"What happened?" Lauren asked curiously.

"Well," Angela said, seeming more hesitant than usual, though she was always reserved, "we drove up north, almost to the hot springs–there's a good spot just about a mile up the trail. But, when we were halfway there… we saw something."

"Saw something? What?" Lauren's pale eyebrows pulled together. Even Jess seemed to be listening now.

"I don't know," Angela said. "We think it was a bear. It was black, anyway, but it seemed… too big."

Lauren snorted. "Oh, not you, too!" Her eyes turned mocking, and I decided I didn't need to give her the benefit of the doubt. Obviously her personality had not changed as much as her hair.

"Tyler tried to sell me that one last week."

"You're not going to see any bears that close to the resort," Jessica said, siding with Lauren.

"Really," Angela protested in a low voice, looking down at the table. "We did see it."

Lauren snickered. Mike was still talking to Conner, not paying attention to the girls.

"No, she's right," I threw in impatiently.

"We had a hiker in just Saturday who saw the bear, too, Angela. He said it was huge and black and just outside of town, didn't he, Mike?"

There was a moment of silence. Every pair of eyes at the table turned to stare at me in shock.

The new girl, Katie, had her mouth hanging open like she'd just witnessed an explosion.

Nobody moved.

"Mike?" I muttered, mortified.

"Remember the guy with the bear story?"

"S-sure," Mike stuttered after a second. I didn't know why he was looking at me so strangely.

I talked to him at work, didn't I? Did I? I thought so…

Mike recovered. "Yeah, there was a guy who said he saw a huge black bear right at the trailhead–bigger than a grizzly," he confirmed.

"Hmph." Lauren turned to Jessica, her shoulders stiff, and changed the subject.

"Did you hear back from USC?" she asked.

Everyone else looked away, too, except for Mike and Angela. Angela smiled at me tentatively, and I hurried to return the smile.

"So, what did you do this weekend, Bella?" Mike asked, curious, but oddly wary.

Everyone but Lauren looked back, waiting for my response.

"Friday night, Jessica and I went to a movie in Port Angeles. And then I spent Saturday afternoon and most of Sunday down at La Push."

The eyes flickered to Jessica and back to me. Jess looked irritated. I wondered if she didn't want anyone to know she'd gone out with me, or whether she just wanted to be the one to tell the story.

"What movie did you see?" Mike asked, starting to smile.

"Dead End–the one with the zombies." I grinned in encouragement. Maybe some of the damage I'd done in these past zombie months was reparable.

"I heard that was scary. Did you think so?" Mike was eager to continue the conversation.

"Bella had to leave at the end, she was so freaked," Jessica inserted with a sly smile.

I nodded, trying to look embarrassed. "It was pretty scary."

Mike looked like he was about to ask more questions, but Lauren suddenly interjected. "Have any of you heard about the new student we're getting tomorrow?" She looked around at everyone, pointedly ignoring me.

"Yeah. A little. My mom told me that the uncle is loaded. He opened an account at the bank for the kid yesterday and deposited a lot of money." Jessica said.

"Well, apparently his uncle owns land about twenty miles south of town and I've heard he's sending this guy here because he got expelled so many times from private schools in Florida that no one at his house could stand him anymore. I bet he does drugs and parties. He's probably going to try and sell meth to the middle schoolers or something."

I felt bad for this kid. To not even be here and everyone already saying that he was a drug dealer. I knew how it felt to be a new student in a town this small.

Angela talked mostly to Mike and me, and, when I got up to dump my tray, she followed.

"Thanks," she said in a low voice when we were away from the table.

"For what?"

"Speaking up, sticking up for me."

"No problem."

She looked at me with concern, but not the offensive, maybe-she's-lost-it kind. "Are you okay?"

This is why I'd picked Jessica over Angela–though I'd always liked Angela more–for the girls' night movie. Angela was too perceptive.

"Not completely," I admitted. "But I'm a little bit better."

"I'm glad," she said. "I've missed you."

Lauren and Jessica strolled by us then, and I heard Lauren whisper loudly, "Oh, joy Bella's back."

Angela rolled her eyes at them, and smiled at me in encouragement.

I sighed It was like I was starting all over again.

"What's today's date?" I wondered suddenly.

"It's January nineteenth."

"Hmm."

"What is it?" Angela asked.

"It was a year ago yesterday that I had my first day here," I mused.

"Nothing's changed much," Angela muttered, looking after Lauren and Jessica.

"I know," I agreed. "I was just thinking the same thing."

* * *

I wasn't sure what the hell I was doing here.

I didn't go any closer to the house. I didn't want to look in the windows. I wasn't sure which would be harder to see. If the rooms were bare, echoing empty from floor to ceiling, that would certainly hurt. Like my grandmother's funeral, when my mother had insisted that I stay outside during the viewing. She had said that I didn't need to see Gran that way, to remember her that way, rather than alive.

But wouldn't it be worse if there were no change? If the couches sat just as I'd last seen them, the paintings on the walls—worse still, the piano on its low platform? It would be second only to the house disappearing all together, to see that there was no physical possession that tied them in anyway. That everything remained, untouched and forgotten, behind them.

Just like me.

I turned my back on the gaping emptiness and hurried to my truck. I nearly ran. I was anxious to be gone, to get back to the human world. I felt hideously empty, and I wanted to see Jacob. Maybe I was developing a new kind of sickness, another addiction, like the numbness before. I didn't care. I pushed my truck as fast as it would go as I barreled toward my fix.

Jacob was waiting for me. My chest seemed to relax as soon as I saw him, making it easier to breathe.

"Hey, Bella," he called.

I smiled in relief. "Hey, Jacob," I waved at Billy, who was looking out the window.

"Let's get to work," Jacob said in a low but eager voice.

I was somehow able to laugh. "You seriously aren't sick of me yet?" I wondered.

He must be starting to ask himself how desperate I was for company.

Jacob led the way around the house to his garage.

"Nope. Not yet."

"Please let me know when I start getting on your nerves. I don't want to be a pain."

"Okay." He laughed, a throaty sound. "I wouldn't hold your breath for that, though."

When I walked into the garage, I was shocked to see the red bike standing up, looking like a motorcycle rather than a pile of jagged metal.

"Jake, you're amazing," I breathed.

He laughed again. "I get obsessive when I have a project." He shrugged. "If I had any brains I'd drag it out a little bit."

"Why?"

He looked down, pausing for so long that I wondered if he hadn't heard my question. Finally, he asked me, "Bella, if I told you that I couldn't fix these bikes, what would you say?"

I didn't answer right away, either, and he glanced up to check my expression.

"I would say… that's too bad, but I'll bet we could figure out something else to do. If we got really desperate, we could even do homework."

Jacob smiled, and his shoulders relaxed. He sat down next to the bike and picked up a wrench. "So you think you'll still come over when I'm done, then?"

"Is that what you meant?" I shook my head. "I guess I _am _taking advantage of your very underpriced mechanical skills. But as long as you let me come over, I'll be here."

"Hoping to see Quil again?" he teased.

"You caught me."

He chuckled. "You really like spending time with me?" he asked, marveling.

"Very, very much.

And I'll prove it. I have to work tomorrow, but Wednesday we'll do something non-mechanical."

"Like what?"

"I have no idea. We can go to my place so you won't be tempted to be obsessive. You could bring your schoolwork—you have to be getting behind, because I know I am."

"Homework might be a good idea." He made a face, and I wondered how much he was leaving undone to be with me.

"Yes," I agreed. "We'll have to start being responsible occasionally, or Billy and Charlie aren't going to be so easygoing about this." I made a gesture indicating the two of us as a single entity. He liked that—he beamed.

"Homework once a week?" he proposed.

"Maybe we'd better go with twice," I suggested, thinking of the pile I'd just been assigned today.

He sighed a heavy sigh. Then he reached over his toolbox to a paper grocery sack. He pulled out two cans of soda, cracking one open and handing it to me. He opened the second, and held it up ceremoniously.

"Here's to responsibility," he toasted. "Twice a week."

"And recklessness every day in between," I emphasized.

He grinned and touched his can to mine.

I got home later than I'd planned and found Charlie had ordered a pizza rather than wait for me. He wouldn't let me apologize.

"I don't mind," he assured me. "You deserve a break from all the cooking, anyway."

I knew he was just relieved that I was still acting like a normal person, and he was not about to rock the boat.

I checked my e-mail before I started on my homework, and there was a long one from Renee. She gushed over every detail I'd provided her with, so I sent back another exhaustive description of my day. Everything but the motorcycles. Even happy-go-lucky Renee was likely to be alarmed by that.

I climbed in bed, knowing that the nightmares were coming violently tonight, just like almost every night. But still, I had this feeling in my gut that things were about to change even more and drag me out of the hazy sleep like state I had been in for the past few nights.

* * *

**A/N:**

**Welcome to the first official chapter of A Fanciful Dream! That first part is an excerpt from Francis Duggan's poem entitled "A Fanciful Dream", which gave me inspiration for this story,**

**As you may have noticed, this chapter is about 99.9% cannon. I would have launched right into the good stuff, but I wanted to set it up not only to show you guys where this falls in New Moon, but to also to get myself better acquainted with Bella's mood.**

**In case you didn't recognize, this particular scene is straight from the last part of chapter six and the first part of chapter seven. This is right after Bella goes to the movies with Jessica in Port Angeles and hears Edward's voice and becomes obsessed with hearing it again. She delivered he bikes to Jake the next day and now he is fixing them up and will soon be riding them for the first time.**

**Thanks to all those who read.**


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

I pulled up to the school earlier than usual, desperate to get out of the house after the rough night I had. I knew it had been a mistake to go there yesterday. I pulled my truck into its usual parking spot and pulled out my English notes. We were supposed to have a short quiz on _Animal Farm_, the current book we were reading. I was carefully reading, focusing more on not thinking of anything else than actually studying. It was not working too well this morning, though, so I began glaring at the book and quietly reading the passages out loud. This worked a lot better.

Or at least it did until I heard a loud tapping on my window. I jerked my head to look at my visitor. At my truck's window was a man, a boy, really. He must be a student that I have not noticed before, because waving at me with a big smile on his face. I still could not place his face and assumed that he must be a younger about him screamed freshman. His black hair was very messy, as if he forgot to brush it. His eyes had that excited look in them. He was dressed reasonably nice as well, with a dress shirt and khakis, the kind of stuff you did not see most juniors or seniors in during the spring semester. Well, most of them any ways, trying not to think of a family who always dressed immaculately no matter the time of year. Guessing that he would stand there until I talked to him, I sighed and put my book down. He stepped backwards so I could open the door.

"Do you need something?" I asked, slightly miffed because he was interrupting me just when I started to block out all my unpleasant thoughts.

"I'm so sorry to interrupt what I'm sure was an interesting conversation with your book." He answered with a raised eyebrow. My eyes narrowed at this. "But, could you please show me where the office is? I'm new here. And you're the only student here." He gestured towards the parking lot, which was completely empty besides my truck and a white Corvette that I assumed to be his. This car would easily be the most expensive car in the parking lot. I tried not to think about expensive cars. I stepped toward him and pointed towards the office.

"It's in the building that says office. You can't miss it." I knew I was being rude, but I was trying to get away from this guy before I had a break down. Nothing said welcome to our town like the local crazy crying because you asked her where the high school office was.

At least he wasn't looking at me like I was crazy. He had dropped the smile for a look of shock. He then quickly switched to an apologetic look. "I'm sorry for interrupting what I'm guessing is your last-minute studying, but like I said, you're the only person who is here. You needed a break anyways! You look exhausted. I'm betting you stayed up all night studying."

Seeing it as a chance to get out of the conversation, I quickly grabbed the chance. "Yeah. I've been studying all night. I just can't fail this test! It would destroy my GPA." I put on a look of worrying. It was all a lie, though. I was spending my small college fund buying parts for the bikes, and besides, I had not filled out any applications besides the ones that… I stopped the train of thought immediately.

"Hey! Don't worry about it! Grades are just numbers on a piece of paper. They don't define you." He was trying to cheer me up, and I felt guilty for lying to him. Wasn't this guy supposed to be a juvenile delinquent or something? I then remembered that Lauren had said that, so it figured the guy was annoyingly nice.

"Don't you still need to go to the office?" I said, hoping he would take the not-so-subtle hint and leave.

Apparently not.

"Yeah, thanks for reminding me! Hey, um, could you go with me? So I won't get lost and end up having to ask directions from the other kids talking to their library books."

I realized too late that he was trying to make a joke, and suddenly forced out laughter. I wasn't fooling him, however. "It's okay; you don't have to pretend for me! That joke wasn't at all up to my usual standard. I'm kind of ashamed that I said that. So, please guide me to the office dear Virgil." I stared at him. "Virgil is the one who guided Dante through Hell in The Inferno."

"I got the joke, it just wasn't funny."

"Oh come on! Intelligent jokes are the best kind."

"If you want me to take you to the office, let's go now." I started walking to the office without waiting for him to respond. The slap of his feet on the pavement was the only indication of him following me at first, but of course that did not last.

"Hey, I know that this sounds like a weird question, but do you know the Enders?" He asked, carefully analyzing my face. And still smiling. Did this guy ever stop smiling? I thought of parents threatening their kids when they made ugly faces that their face would freeze like that. Did that happen to this guy?

"No." I said immediately, and then added on "Why?"

He looked at a loss for words. "Just wondering. You kind of look like them, and I was wondering if you were related… Never mind, it doesn't matter."

We were silent for a minute. I was starting to feel bad for being rude to this guy. I knew how it felt to be a new student here, and it took a lot of guts to go up to me and ask for my help like he did. I never would have done it. Also, he was not looking at me like I was some kind of weirdo. He was cracking jokes and smiling at me in a way that felt refreshing. It wasn't as strong as the almost-happy feeling Jacob gave me, but it did make me want to associate with him, and be his friend. Unless he started trying to do romantic not-friend things. After lunch yesterday, I realized that only Mike and Angela (and hopefully Ben) still wanted to be friends with me. Jessica was still angry about Friday.

Then, he turned to look at me again. "Hey, I forgot to ask, what's your name?" I almost didn't want to answer. Here, this guy was actually treating me like a person instead of an alien being and if I told him who I was then he would soon link me with my zombie-like state that I am sure he will be informed of sooner or later.

"Bella Swan." I answered. Hopefully he would be more like a guy version of Angela, and not Jessica.

"I'm Dexter Rhodes." He grimaced at the name. "But please, call me Dex."

"You don't really look like a Dexter." I commented.

"I know, when people hear my name they start preparing to throw me into trashcans!" He complained. "I bet all the athletes here already poised to beat me up in Gym class. It's bad enough that I'm so short." Now that he mentioned it, he was pretty short, only an inch or two above me.

We stopped, now at the office door. I gestured to it. "Here you go."

"Thanks. See you around, Bella." He said, and then went into the office.

I walked back to my truck to get my things. Other students were starting to arrive, so I might as well go to class. I carefully got my things and walked slowly to English. I came in about a minute before the bell rang and walked to my seat in the back. Mike gave me a small wave, and then returned to studying his copy of _Animal Farm_. I sat in my desk in the very back and pulled a pencil out of my binder and calmly waited for the late bell to ring.

When it did, had already stood up and was explaining to us how he wanted us to answer the short answer questions when someone knocked on the door. Surprised, Mr. Berty turned to the door and opened it. In walked Dex, who was quietly apologizing for his tardiness.

"Well, since you're new, I'll forgive you, but you've got to introduce yourself in front of the class." Mr. Berty said, even though he was not angry. Mr. Berty never hid his dislike of anybody. I could tell he already liked Dex, but it was hard to dislike someone as friendly as him.

"Oh, um, well." Dex started, smiling at the class. "I'm Dexter Rhodes. Call me Dex. I used to live with my uncle, but now I live in his house up here, and I like skydiving . Oh, and I love rock music."

Mr. Berty was still smiling at him. "Was that your Corvette in the parking lot? Would you mind if I took it for a spin?" I felt like sighing. Every day that I paid attention since the first day of school, Mr. Berty has mentioned his dream of buying a red Corvette when he retires.

"Only if you pass me!" Dex said, laughing. A few people in the class giggled, but most of them were ogling him in a manner similar to what I had experienced on the first day. Like he was a shiny new toy to play with.

"Oh I'm sure you won't need my help. We were about to take a quiz, but since you're new, here's a copy of the book." Mr. Berty handed him a copy of Animal Farm off the shelf. "We're only two chapters in, so I expect you to catch up by _tomorrow_ and take the quiz on the first two chapters." He added sternly.

"Will do, sir." He said, ignoring the ever continuing stares of the entire class.

Mr. Berty looked around the room a few times, looking for an empty seat. Suddenly, he honed in on the only empty desk beside me. The one that was occupied at the beginning of the year. I tried not to think about it. "You can sit beside Ms. Swan back there."

Dex smiled at me and walked back, whispering "Hi." to people as he passed them. He sat beside me and whispered "We meet again, Bella." then opened up Animal Farm and began reading it while Mr. Berty started explaining the short answer questions on the quiz.

After Dex ended up in Calculus, Gym and Spanish with me in a certain empty desk (though in Calculus and Spanish, where we sat in alphabetical order, he sat beside me because of where his last name fell on the roster, _his_ desk was already filled when he first moved), I realized exactly whose old schedule he had been given. I tried not to think about it at lunch, where I was sitting. Suddenly, a plate was set down in front of me. I looked up to see Dex smiling at me. "Hello, class buddy." He had started calling me this in Spanish, after he realized that we had every class together when he rattled off his schedule and I had told him it was the same as mine. ("What a coincidence!" He'd said. I'd falsely smiled, knowing that he was just given a recycled schedule, with the only difference being Calculus.)

"You're Dex Rhodes, aren't you?" Mike asked. Everyone else had sat down at our table, and was staring at Dex, probably wondering why he was sitting with us, when he had talked extensively to everyone that had approached him today.

A sly smile appeared on Dex's face. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He pulled out his driver's license and made a show of peering at it. "Let's see, it says Dexter Nathanial Rhodes. So that must be me." Mike looked shocked, then started laughing.

"I'm Mike Newton." Mike said. Then started pointing us out around the table "That's Lauren Mallory, Jessica Stanley, Katie Marshall, Eric Yorkie, Conner Smith, Austin Marks, Ben Cheney usually sits there, but he's sick, Angela Webber, and Bella Swan."

"I've already met a few of you." He looked around sightly waving and smiling.

"So, Dex" Lauren said "I've heard that Corvette is yours. How long have you had it?" Ah, she was now either fishing for more gossip or making her move now that it was clear Dex was wealthy and not a drug dealer like she had assumed.

Dex looked at Lauren for a second before scowling. It was strange to not see him smiling and being generally happy. "I've had it since I turned sixteen. It was a gift from my uncle. Also, I just want to assure you that I didn't have to sell drugs to be able to afford it." Lauren looked shocked before Dex added "If I was you, I wouldn't spread gossip in the hallway, where everyone and their mother can hear you." Lauren turned red then began whispering furiously to Tyler.

Dex turned back to Mike. "Sorry if that seemed rude, but that's been bothering me since this morning. I can't stand people who speak badly of me and my uncle."

"No, it's fine." Mike said, and then dropped his voice "Lauren gets jealous when nobody pays attention to her. Don't let her bother you."

"As I was saying earlier, I already met a few of you. Austin helped me find the guy's locker rooms in gym. I almost went in the girls' locker room. That would have been mortifying. Jessica helped me find the English building. Luckily, she was running an errand or I would have wandered around the school all first period. I'm absolutely terrible at reading maps. Bella almost had a heart attack this morning! When I got here, she was the only other person here so I was going to ask her where the office is, and I knocked on her window and she almost fell out of the seat." He laughed.

I noticed for the rest of lunch that our table was much happier than usual. Even the sullen Lauren was eventually laughing. I even cracked an honest smile once.

* * *

After going to my locker after my last class, I was one of the few students left on campus. In fact, the only students left on campus besides me should have been the athletes staying for practice. I was walking to my truck when I heard familiar heated whispering.

Dex was leaning up against his car talking on his cell phone.

"Yes, I'm sure she's one…. Yes, she has it, but it's restrained… No I didn't see her do anything, but I just have this feeling… Yes, sir. Please, just check it out. I know I'm right... Thanks. You won't be disappointed. See you this weekend." He turned to me, and his eyes widened in shock before he waved, jumped into his car, and drove out of the parking lot.

* * *

Before going to work, I had to stop by the bank and deposit my paycheck that I had on me since Friday. I hated the fact that I would have to go in the bank and talk to Jessica's mother. "Good afternoon, Bella." Jessica's mother greeted warmly.

"Hey, Mrs. Stanley"

"It's lovely that you went out with Jessica Friday night. It's been far too long!" I smiled back at her a second after it passed from falsely pleasant into awkward.

"Yeah. I've just been so busy with school and work…"

"Sure. I understand." She smiled at me again.

"Speaking of work." I said as I handed her my check.

She started typing in information on the computer. She opened her mouth as if to ask something, and then closed it quickly and stared at the computer screen with wide eyes.

"Uhh, here's your balance." She said as she printed out a slip of paper. She then practically shoved it into my hands. I glanced over it and almost fell down. My balance had twenty thousand extra dollars in it.

"Mrs. Stanley, this can't be right." Mrs. Stanley agreed, and then went to find Mrs. Gerandy.

Soon I was in Mrs. Gerandy's office, with her explaining that I was the recipient of the "prestigious" Pacific Northwest Trust Fund Scholarship, which would grant me an outrageous amount of money. So with the Trust Fund's "information" I walked out with the remains of my checking account. Minus the twenty grand, of course.

* * *

Mike was animated and chatty at work that night. It was like he'd stored up the semester's worth of talk, and it was all spilling out now. I found that I was able to smile and laugh with him, just like today at lunch. It seemed harmless enough, until quitting time.

Mike put the closed sign in the window while I folded my vest and shoved it under the counter.

"This was fun tonight," Mike said happily.

"Yeah," I agreed, though I'd much rather have spent the afternoon in the garage.

"It's too bad that you had to leave the movie early last week."

I was a little confused by his train of thought. I shrugged. "I'm just a wimp, I guess."

"What I mean is, you should go to a better movie, something you'd enjoy," he explained.

"Oh," I muttered, still confused.

"Like maybe this Friday. With me. We could go see something that isn't scary at all."

I bit my lip.

I didn't want to screw things up with Mike, not when he was one of the only people ready to forgive me for being crazy. But this, again, felt far too familiar.

Like the last year had never happened. I wished I had Jess as an excuse this time.

"Like a date?" I asked. Honesty was probably the best policy at this point. Get it over with.

He processed the tone of my voice "If you want. But it doesn't have to be like that."

"I don't date," I said slowly, realizing how true that was. That whole world seemed impossibly distant.

"Just as friends?" he suggested. His clear blue eyes were not as eager now. I hoped he really meant that we could be friends anyway.

"That would be fun. But I actually have plans already this Friday, so maybe next week?"

"What are you doing?" he asked, less casually than I think he wanted to sound.

"Homework. I have a… study session planned with a friend."

"Oh. Okay. Maybe next week."

He walked me to my car, less exuberant than before. It reminded me so clearly of my first months in Forks. I'd come full circle, and now everything felt like an echo—an empty echo, devoid of the interest it used to have.

I shivered. Suddenly, I felt very uneasy. Like I was being watched.

* * *

"I just can't believe it. Does he really think I'm that stupid?" I was muttering to myself in my room that night. What was the point of this scholarship, anyways? To keep tabs on me? To keep me silent? I angrily typed the e-mail to Mr. Isaac Randall, hoping this would be the last time I would have to do so. I pressed the send button with satisfaction. There is no way this guy can find a loophole in this E-mail.

* * *

**A/N: Happy Monday! Or as happy as it can be. I would have updated yesterday, but I have final exams this week, and today was math and science. Nasty. And I also took my English final exam.**

**So, welcome main OC numero uno. **

**Doesn't it seem a little weird that Dex was making everyone laugh and be happy at lunch, especially Bella, who was acting a little OOC? Well, it should have set off alarm bells in your head. Something is off about this guy. What, exactly? Well, try to guess. He _seems_ perfect, but he uses happiness the same way Bella used her numbness to cover up unpleasant memories, which you'll find out about later. In case you didn't notice, he likes mostly everyone at Forks so far, except Lauren. Just a little foreshadowing for his character, when he doesn't like someone, her REALLY doesn't like them. And continues to dislike t****hem. Forever. He's a really big grudge holder. It's a flaw of his.**

**I gave Dex Edward's old schedule for a good,**** real-life reason. When I was an office aid last semester, the principal would give transfers the schedules of people who moved during the year or dropped without making more than two or three changes. My school is just a little bit bigger than Forks, so I'm guessing that most of the teachers at Forks in Twilight would each teach two grades in their subject (like math) or split all the students between to teachers for each subject with three classes total for subjects like Spanish, Chemistry, Algebra I, etc. So, since there are about seventy kids in each grade, and around twenty-three kids in each class, the classes would have been almost full, and any new students would just be shoved wherever they could fit them.**

** Also, did you notice a certain outtake from New Moon that I added in there? I love Stephenie's sense of humor, and some of her funniest things weren't added in the books. So I added it here. It will be a little plot relevant, so don't worry about me just randomly throwing it in.**

**Thanks for reading.**

Princess Cinder


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

The feeling of being watched did not fade. In fact, it only grew stronger. The next day, as I was walking down the sidewalk in front of my house, I felt like I was surrounded by people, all secretly watching me. Oh great, now I'm paranoid. Another trait to add to my list of disturbing habits.

I tried to put the thought out of mind as I sat in English. I carefully took notes of everything Mr. Berty said, no matter how random it was. The rest of the day was easier. Dex, as it turns out, sleeps in almost every class. I kicked his foot whenever any teachers looked suspicious or walked towards his desk to see if he was awake. He thanked me for it, and then put his head back on his hands in a reading position. I told him it was no problem. It really was not any problem, because it kept my mind off things. I wondered what was up with his hushed phone call that I overheard yesterday. I decided that I was getting paranoid, and decreed I would not worry about it anymore.

* * *

That night, Charlie didn't seem the smallest bit surprised to find Jacob and I sprawled across the living room floor with our books scattered around us, so I guessed that he and Billy were talking behind our backs.

"Hey, kids," he said, his eyes straying to the kitchen.

The smell of the lasagna I'd spent the afternoon making—while Jacob watched and occasionally sampled— wafted down the hall; I was being good, trying to atone for all the pizza we had been eating since I began hanging out with Jacob. Jacob stayed for dinner, and took a plate home for Billy. He grudgingly added another year to my negotiable age for being a good cook. I genuinely laughed at his put out expression, and it lightened my mood even further when he laughed with me.

Friday was the garage, and Saturday, after my shift at Newton's, was homework again. Charlie felt secure enough in my sanity to spend the day fishing with Harry. When he got back, we were all done—feeling very sensible and mature about it, too—and watching _Monster Garage _on the Discovery Channel.

"I probably ought to go." Jacob sighed. "It's later than I thought."

"Okay, fine," I grumbled. "I'll take you home."

He laughed at my unwilling expression—it seemed to please him.

"Tomorrow, back to work," I said as soon as we were safe in the truck. "What time do you want me to come up?"

There was an unexplained excitement in his answering smile. "I'll call you first, okay?"

"Sure." I frowned to myself, wondering what was up. His smile widened.

* * *

When I got back, I grabbed the mail on the way inside. I flipped through it quickly, stopping when I reached a letter from the Northwest Pacific Trust Fund Scholarship Allocations Office.

It's just an official recognition of your refusal, I told myself. Don't get worked up yet.

The letter stated how they had trouble awarding me the money, and that I should be grateful. I wanted to gratefully shove the letter down this Mr. Isaac Randall's throat. I crushed the letter into a ball in my hand and searched vigorously for the information Mrs. Gerandy had given me Monday. After realizing that Charlie had taken out the trash, I got a brilliant idea.

I went downstairs to the kitchen and grabbed the lighter out of the drawer. I lit a lavender scented candle then I tore up the envelope, letter, and check into tiny pieces before lighting them on fire in the sink.

"Bella, do you smell smoke?" Charlie called from the kitchen.

"I just lit a candle." I called back.

I washed the ashes down the sink thoroughly and ran the disposer with a dark satisfaction coursing through me. They could send me all the checks they wanted, but lighters were fifty cents at any gas station.

* * *

I cleaned the house the next morning, waiting for Jacob to call. Charlie was outside washing the cruiser, so when the phone rang, I dropped the toilet brush and ran downstairs to answer it.

"Hello?" I asked breathlessly.

"Bella," Jacob said with a strange, formal tone to his voice.

"Hey, Jake."

"I believe that… we have a _date" _he said, his tone thick with implications.

It took me a second before I got it. "They're done? I can't believe it!" I was giddy at the thought.

"Yeah, they run and everything."

"Jacob, you are absolutely, without a doubt, the most talented and wonderful person I know. You get ten years for this one."

"Cool! I'm middle-aged now."

I laughed. "I'm on my way up!"

I threw the cleaning supplies under the bathroom counter and grabbed my jacket.

"Headed to see Jake," Charlie said when I ran past him. It wasn't really a question.

"Yep," I replied as I jumped in my truck.

"I'll be at the station later," Charlie called after me.

"Okay," I yelled back, turning the key.

I parked my truck off to the side of the Blacks' house, close to the trees, to make it easier for us to sneak the bikes out. When I got out, a splash of color caught my eye—two shiny motorcycles, one red, one black, were hidden under a spruce, invisible from the house. Jacob was prepared.

There was a piece of blue ribbon tied in a small bow around each of the handlebars. I was laughing at that when Jacob ran out of the house.

"Ready?" he asked in a low voice, his eyes sparkling.

I glanced over his shoulder, and there was no sign of Billy.

"Yeah," I said, but I didn't feel quite as excited as before; I was trying to imagine myself actually _on _the motorcycle.

Jacob loaded the bikes into the bed of the truck with ease, laying them carefully on their sides so they didn't show.

"Let's go," he said his voice higher than usual with excitement. "I know the perfect spot—no one will catch us there."

* * *

We drove south out of town. The dirt road wove in and out of the forest— sometimes there was nothing but trees, and then there would suddenly be a breathtaking glimpse of the Pacific Ocean, reaching to the horizon, dark gray under the clouds. We were above the shore, on top of the cliffs that bordered the beach here and the view seemed to stretch on forever.

I was driving slowly, so that I could safely stare out across the ocean now and then, as the road wound closer to the sea cliffs. Jacob was talking about finishing the bikes, but his descriptions were getting technical, so I wasn't paying close attention.

That was when I noticed four figures standing on a rocky ledge, much too close to the precipice. I couldn't tell from the distance how old they were, but I assumed they were men. Despite the chill in the air today, they seemed to be wearing only shorts.

As I watched, the tallest person stepped closer to the brink. I slowed automatically, my foot hesitating over the brake pedal.

And then he threw himself off the edge.

"No!" I shouted, stomping down on the brake.

"What's wrong?" Jacob shouted back, alarmed.

"That guy—he just _jumped _off the _cliff_! Why didn't they stop him? We've got to call an ambulance!" I threw open my door and started to get out, which made no sense at all. The fastest way to a phone was to drive back to Billy's. But I couldn't believe what I'd just seen. Maybe, subconsciously, I hoped I would see something different without the glass of the windshield in the way.

Jacob laughed, and I spun to stare at him wildly. How could he be so calloused, so cold-blooded?

"They're just cliff diving, Bella. Recreation. La Push doesn't have a mall, you know." He was teasing, but there was a strange note of irritation in his voice.

"Cliff diving?" I repeated, dazed. I stared in disbelief as a second figure stepped to the edge, paused, and then very gracefully leaped into space. He fell for what seemed like an eternity to me, finally cutting smoothly into the dark gray waves below.

"Wow. It's so high." I slid back into my seat, still staring wide-eyed at the two remaining divers. "It must be a hundred feet."

"Well, yeah, most of us jump from lower down, that rock that juts out from the cliff about halfway."

He pointed out his window. The place he indicated did seem much more reasonable. "_Those _guys are insane. Probably showing off how tough they are. I mean, really, it's freezing today. That water can't feel good." He made a disgruntled face, as if the stunt personally offended him. It surprised me a little.

I would have thought Jacob was nearly impossible to upset.

"_You _jump off the cliff?" I hadn't missed the "us."

"Sure, sure." He shrugged and grinned. "It's fun. A little scary, kind of a rush."

I looked back at the cliffs, where the third figure was pacing the edge. I'd never witnessed anything so reckless in all my life. My eyes widened, and I smiled.

"Jake, you have to take me cliff diving."

He frowned back at me, his face disapproving. "Bella, you just wanted to call an ambulance for Sam," he reminded me. I was surprised that he could tell who it was from this distance.

"I want to try," I insisted, starting to get out of the car again.

Jacob grabbed my wrist. "Not today, all right? Can we at least wait for a warmer day?"

"Okay, fine," I agreed. With the door open, the glacial breeze was raising goose bumps on my arm. "But I want to go soon."

"Soon." He rolled his eyes. "Sometimes you're a little strange, Bella. Do you know that?"

I sighed. "Yes."

"And we're not jumping off the top."

I watched, fascinated, as the third boy made a running start and flung himself farther into the empty air than the other two. He twisted and cartwheeled through space as he fell, like he was skydiving. He looked absolutely free—unthinking and utterly irresponsible.

"Fine," I agreed. "Not the first time, anyway."

Now Jacob sighed.

"Are we going to try out the bikes or not?" he demanded.

"Okay, okay," I said, tearing my eyes away from the last person waiting on the cliff. I put my seat belt back on and closed the door. The engine was still running, roaring as it idled. We started down the road again.

"So who were those guys—the crazy ones?" I wondered.

He made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat. "The La Push gang."

"You have a gang?" I asked. I realized that I sounded impressed. I didn't think enough people even lived in La Push to form a gang.

He laughed and told me about this so-called gang. He became angrier the more he talked about it. He told me about how everyone though Sam Uley, the same one who rescued me in the woods, was almighty. He talked about how Embry began hanging out with them. He fearfully talked about how Sam was watching him, and waiting for something to happen.

I threw my arms around him instinctively, wrapping them around his waist and pressing my face against his chest. He was so big, I felt like I was a child hugging a grown-up.

"Oh, Jake, it'll be okay!" I promised. "If it gets worse you can come live with me and Charlie. Don't be scared, we'll think of something!"

He was frozen for a second, and then his long arms wrapped hesitantly around me. "Thanks, Bella." His voice was huskier than usual.

We stood like that for a moment, and it didn't upset me; in fact, I felt comforted by the contact. This didn't feel anything like the last time someone had embraced me this way. This was friendship. And Jacob was very warm.

It was strange for me, being this close—emotionally rather than physically, though the physical was strange for me, too—to another human being. It wasn't my usual style. I didn't normally relate to people so easily, on such a basic level.

Not human beings.

"If this is how you're going to react, I'll freak out more often." Jacob's voice was light, normal again, and his laughter rumbled against my ear. His fingers touched my hair, soft and tentative.

Well, it was friendship for me.

I pulled away quickly, laughing with him, but determined to put things back in perspective at once.

"It's hard to believe I'm two years older than you," I said, emphasizing the word _older_. "You make me feel like a dwarf." Standing this close to him, I really had to crane my neck to see his face.

"You're forgetting I'm in my forties, of course."

"Oh, that's right."

He patted my head. "You're like a little doll," he teased. "A porcelain doll."

I rolled my eyes, taking another step away. "Let's not start with the albino cracks."

"Seriously, Bella, are you sure you're not?" He stretched his russet arm out next to mine. The difference wasn't flattering. "I've never seen anyone paler than you… well, except for—" He broke off, and I looked away, trying to not understand what he had been about to say.

"So are we going to ride or what?"

"Let's do it," I agreed, more enthusiastic than I would have been half a minute ago. His unfinished sentence reminded me of why I was here.

* * *

He got the motorcycles from the bed of the truck and set them up, then began giving me instructions.

"I'm fine," I mumbled, dazed, after my first short ride on the motorcycle. I was more than fine. The voice in my head was back. It still rang in my ears—soft, velvety echoes.

My mind ran swiftly through the possibilities. There was no familiarity here—on a road I'd never seen, doing something I'd never done before—no déjà vu. So the hallucinations must be triggered by something else… I felt the adrenaline coursing through my veins again, and I thought I had the answer. Some combination of adrenaline and danger, or maybe just stupidity.

Jacob was pulling me to my feet.

"Did you hit your head?" he asked.

"I don't think so." I shook it back and forth, checking. "I didn't hurt the bike, did I?" This thought worried me. I was anxious to try again, right away. Being reckless was paying off better than I'd thought. Forget cheating. Maybe I'd found a way to generate the hallucinations—that was much more important.

"No. You just stalled the engine," Jacob said, interrupting my quick speculations.

"You let go of the clutch too fast."

I nodded. "Let's try again."

"Are you sure?" Jacob asked.

"Positive."

* * *

The second ride ended a little more painfully.

"Bella!" Jacob was crouching over me anxiously. "Bella, are you alive?"

"I'm great!" I enthused. I flexed my arms and legs. Everything seemed to be working correctly. "Let's do it again."

"I don't think so." Jacob still sounded worried. "I think I'd better drive you to the hospital first."

"I'm fine."

"Um, Bella? You've got a huge cut on your forehead, and it's gushing blood," he informed me.

I clapped my hand over my head. Sure enough, it was wet and sticky. I could smell nothing but the damp moss on my face, and that held off the nausea.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Jacob." I pushed hard against the gash, as if I could force the blood back inside my head.

"Why are you apologizing for bleeding?" he wondered as he wrapped a long arm around my waist and pulled me to my feet. "Let's go. I'll drive." He held out his hand for the keys.

"What about the bikes?" I asked, handing them over.

He thought for a second. "Wait here. And take this." He pulled off his T-shirt, already spotted with blood, and threw it to me.

I wadded it up and held it tightly to my forehead. I was starting to smell the blood; I breathed deeply through my mouth and tried to concentrate on something else.

Jacob jumped on the black motorcycle, kicked it to a start in one try, and raced back down the road, spraying sand and pebbles behind him. He looked athletic and professional and generally badass as he leaned over the handlebars, head low, face forward, his shiny hair whipping against the russet skin of his back. My eyes narrowed enviously. I was sure I hadn't looked like that on my motorcycle.

I was surprised at how far I'd gone. I could barely see Jacob in the distance when he finally got to the truck. He threw the bike into the bed and sprinted back to me, wrapping his arm around my waist again.

"Okay, let's get you in the truck." He started to help me into the truck, but then a familiar voice stopped him.

"What in the world are you doing at my house?" I turned to look at the source. There, wrapped in a thick blanket with a very red face was Dex. I remember when I could avoid my classmates outside of school. Oh the days.

Jacob looked shocked. "Oh… I'm so sorry! I didn't know anyone lived here." He then looked worriedly at me.

I sighed. "Jake, this is Dex Rhodes. Dex, this is Jacob Black."

They gave a simple hey to each other, then Dex looked closely at me. "Bella, are you okay? Oh no you're bleeding. Oh shit. We need to do something."

"I'm fine. It's just a little blood." I assured him.

"A lot of blood" Jacob muttered.

"Dex, listen. My dad cannot find out about this." I gestured to the motorcycles. "So please could you keep this a secret?"

He looked at Jacob and I a few seconds before answering. "No problem, but with one condition."

"What?" I asked, expecting something very strange.

He looked sheepish. "Could you guys take me to the hospital with you? I feel really bad and don't want to risk driving." Now that he mentioned it, I noticed he was swaying slightly and his eyes looked unfocused.

"No problem. But we'll have to share a seat." I was kind of worried he might pass out. He really wasn't looking good. "Also, I need to go bring the bikes to Jake's house then clean up."

"I'm not going to let you bleed to death, Bella." Jacob objected.

"Why don't you leave them in my back yard until you get stitches? Then you and Jacob can come back and get them. You can clean up in my house, if you like. I really think you should go to the hospital." Jacob liked this idea and I agreed. Charlie would never find out, and I would go to the hospital sooner. It was a win-win situation.

* * *

We all squeezed into my truck and Dex directed us back the short distance to his house. I can see how he heard us, we were only about two hundred feet behind it, but hidden by the forest around his house. His house was very nice. Not the nicest I had seen, (I tried to block that thought, but it was hard after just hearing his voice) but it was worth more than mine and Jacob's house combined. After seeing the inside it was obvious that this house was built for a wealthy single man. There was a huge flat screen TV dominating the living room with no decorations on the walls besides a few very odd pieces of art.

"Nice place you got." Jacob said, genuinely impressed. I guess the flat screen won him over. We followed Dex up the steps at the back of his living room. I noticed he was walking slower and trembling slightly.

"This is my uncle's house. He only stays here when it's too hot in Texas or when he checks up on his dealership in Seattle." He turned looked at my confused face when we got to the second floor, and added "He's the CEO of a large chain of very successful car dealerships." He went into a room, which was obviously his judging by the state of the disordered clothes in front of his dresser and the mass amounts of photographs stuck on the walls.

"I'll say." Jacob muttered, then added "Why did you move here, then?" Dex handed me a plain grey T-shirt and sweatpants while contemplating.

"Well, my uncle has custody of me, but since he travels all the time, I stayed with his girlfriend." He opened his bathroom door and gestured to me. "She, er, changed a lot, and they ended up separating. He has some friends of the family that live near Port Angeles in case I needed anything, so he decided to send me here. I don't really mind, though. I like it a lot better here. Well, except for this freezing cold weather." I heard him and Jacob laugh as I cleaned up. I was not very surprised they got along. They were both very cheerful people with a way of making others feel nice as well. I had noticed that Dex was less cheerful than usual because of his illness.

I tried to think of the blood on me as red paint. It made it a little easier to not pass out. I took off my filthy clothes and set them on his counter, then washed the dirt off me and cautiously put on the T-shirt and sweat pants. Dex was very skinny, almost as little as me.

"Hurry up." Jacob called right before I walked out.

"How do I look?" I asked him.

"Better," Jacob admitted.

"But do I look like I tripped in your garage and hit my head on a hammer?"

"Sure, I guess so. But what about sick guy over here?" Jacob gestured to Dex.

"You guys came to visit me, because you heard I was ill, and then Bella tripped walking up the steps." Dex proposed. It wouldn't work with anyone else but me, because my dad knew of my very clumsy nature.

"Sure. Sounds fine to me." I agreed, and Jacob said that it sounded just like me. The three of us then walked down the steps and crammed back into my truck. The drive was mostly silent, with Jacob focusing on driving, Dex being sick, and me trying not to vomit.

We were halfway to the hospital when I realized Jacob was still shirtless.

I frowned guiltily. "We should have grabbed you a jacket."

"That would have given us away," he teased. "Besides, it's not cold."

"Are you kidding?" I shivered and reached out to turn the heat on.

I watched Jacob to see if he was just playing tough so I wouldn't worry, but he looked comfortable enough. He had one arm over the back of my seat, though I was huddled up to keep warm.

Jacob really did look older than sixteen—not quite forty, but maybe older than me. Quil didn't have too much on him in the muscle department, for all that Jacob claimed to be a skeleton. The muscles were the long wiry kind, but they were definitely there under the smooth skin. He definitely had more muscles than Dex.

His skin was such a pretty color, it made me jealous.

Jacob noticed my scrutiny.

"What?" he asked, suddenly self-conscious.

"Nothing."

Dex then coughed awkwardly. I had almost forgotten he was there.

"So, how long have you two been dating?" Dex asked innocently.

"Us… We're not dating." I asked, suddenly mortified. I did not date.

"Uh huh. Sure." He said with a sly smile on his face, then stage winked. Silence settled over the truck again.

Within a few minutes, we pulled up in front of the hospital. Jacob helped me out of the truck, and Dex sluggishly followed behind us. I was checking myself in, when Jacob worriedly asked "Hey, are you okay? You don't look so good?"

I turned just in time to see Jacob catch Dex as he fell. He laid him down carefully on the floor. The nurse hurriedly came around and told Jacob to lift his feet. She then checked Dex's breathing and heartbeat. She turned to Jacob and I. "Don't worry about your friend. He should come to in just a few seconds."

Dex groaned, then began moving a little and I sighed with relief. He tried to sit up, but the nurse stopped him. "Just stay still for a few more minutes. You don't want to faint again." A few minutes later, the nurse came and got him and took him to a room. About ten minutes later, she came and got me. I asked her if she knew why he fainted.

"Your friend should be fine. We're running tests on him to see what he has. We'll fix you up now, then get him what he needs."

* * *

I had to have seven stitches to close the cut on my forehead. After the sting of the local anesthetic, there was no pain in the procedure. Jacob held my hand while Dr. Snow was sewing, and I tried not to think about why that was ironic.

After I was done, Jacob and I went to check on Dex, who had been admitted to a room. It turns out he had double pneumonia, which explains his fainting. He was upset that he would have to stay in the hospital a few days because of it, but Dr. Snow did not want to send him home with no one to take care of him. He thanked us for taking him to the hospital, and was still thanking Jacob for not letting him hit the floor.

'It's no problem. You're the lightest guy I've ever met." Jacob joked.

"I just can't believe I had to lie on the floor of a hospital. I probably am infested with all kinds of deadly diseases." He said, mortified.

"Are you sure you don't need anything?" I asked. I felt bad because he didn't have anyone else here to take care of him.

"I'm fine. You guys have helped me a lot anyways. The friends of the family I told you guys about earlier are coming and should be here soon. Go home. I know it's been a long day." He smiled at us. By the time we left, I had to drop Jacob off at his home and hurry back to cook dinner for Charlie. He was pleasantly surprised that me and Jacob went to visit Dex and make sure he was feeling okay. I almost felt bad for lying about it. Charlie seemed to buy my story about falling on Dex's steps. After all, it wasn't like I hadn't been able to land myself in the ER before with no more help than my own feet. And according to his knowledge, it wasn't like I hadn't injured myself on stairs before.

* * *

**A/N: Major plot change alert! Hahaha.**

**Long time no see! Like I said last time, I had final exams all last week, and I spent all weekend doing last minute shopping with my mother. I have edited the first few chapters a little, so feel free to go back and reread. I had a little but more time today, but I probably won't update again until after Christmas, so Merry Christmas in advance.**

**So, Dex lives near where Bella and Jake first rode bikes. Wanna know a secret? This was totally unplanned. I was rereading chapters eight and nine to get the feel for the chapter, and what do you know, Dex lived in the same area that Bella and Jake rode bikes in, then this came out. This also means that we will meet some more OCs very soon!**

**Why does Jake like Dex when he hated Mike? Well for one, Mike was flirting with Bella the last time Jake saw Mike, and Dex wasn't flirting with her at all. Second, Dex and Jake are both naturally friendly people. The only people that we see Jake outright disliking is Mike, Sam, and the Cullens. Mike because he flirted with Bella, the Cullens because they broke her, and Sam because he thought Sam had started a Quileute Mafia. Dex has done nothing but catch them riding the motorcycles on his own property and offer to help them hide the aforementioned motorcycles. And I'm sure Dex implying Bella and Jake were in a relationship didn't hurt either. **

**Pneumonia can actually cause fainting. I've had it before, and let me tell you, it sucks.**

**When someone one faints, it's better to leave them own the ground and raise their lower body to get more oxygen to the brain. Dex was better off on the hospital floor than trying to get up. Ya learn something new every day.**

**Bye bye my lovelies. Don't forget to review! **


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